Jerusalem is one of the hottest points of contention between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel claims all of Jerusalem, but the UN resolution states the final peace settlement will decide; however, there has not been any progress on the road to peace for decades, while the US has bolstered the status-quo.
Jewish extremists chant racial hatred
A far-right Jewish extremist group, Lahava, led a march of hundreds toward the Damascus Gate while chanting "Death to Arabs" and waving banners reading "Death to terrorists".
This blatant display of racial hatred followed videos circulated on TikTok showing young Palestinians slapping Jews in east Jerusalem in response to the Israeli police crack-down at the Damascus Gate. Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right Israeli politician, told Israeli media, "There are many Arabs among us who are loyal. But I certainly think that those of them among us who lynch, who beat up, cause harm - they should be roughed up, they should be thrown out of here." When pressed for specifics, he added, "if we manage to pass legislation, also throwing them out of the country."
Jordan strongly condemned "the racist attacks on Palestinians." Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi tweeted on Saturday: "As the occupying power under international law, Israel is responsible for stopping these attacks & for the dangerous consequences of failing to do so."
Gaza stands in solidarity with West Bank and Jerusalem protests
The incidents in Jerusalem triggered a flare-up in Gaza, and Hamas' armed wing warned Israel "not to test" its patience and the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine started firing rockets into southern Israel late Friday and continued through Saturday morning. The Iron Dome air defense intercepted one missile. The Israeli military said its aircraft and tanks struck rocket launchers and unspecified underground infrastructure for Hamas, as sirens warning of incoming rockets from Gaza kept blaring in southern Israel.
Palestinian militants fired at least 30 rockets and Israel struck back at targets operated by Hamas, which issued a joint call for solidarity with the Palestinian resistance in Jerusalem, and the West Bank, while hundreds of people in Gaza took to the streets burning tires. After Friday prayers, Hamas staged demonstrations across Gaza in support of the armed struggle. Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas official, said, "After a long series of protests and demonstrations, we have concluded that without weapons, we cannot liberate our land, protect our holy sites, bringing back our people to their land or maintain our dignity." In the West Bank, Palestinian youth clashed with Israeli troops around military checkpoints near multiple occupied West Bank cities.
The Israeli occupation is fraying around the edges. The resistance to occupation is strong, both domestically and from abroad. The time for peace negotiations has arrived before Israeli citizens suffer as collateral damage from their leaders' arrogance.
Steven Sahiounie is an award-winning journalist
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